Surviving Winter - the Native Americans

I'm sitting at my computer in front of the window and watching the snow pile up in our barnyard. It's gorgeous. Pristine with not a hint of wind to cause drifts. And it made me wonder how people survived winters in centuries past.

The Native Americans were very diverse in their survival means. I live in Northern Michigan and most of the tribes native to this area headed away from the lake to their inland winter camps, most of them farther south in the state. They built winter lodges of birch bark that were up to twenty feet long and ten feet wide. As many as three generations of a family would live in the lodge all winter. Typically there would be a firepit at each end, one to cook over and one for warmth.

The Native Americans in this area were farmers. They collected the wild rice in season, but also cultivated and grew corn, beans, squash, and other vegetables they stored for winter survival. These weren't small patches, but acres of fields tended by the women all summer long. It was enough - at least in the good years - to see them through the winter.

Keeping warm was a full-time occupation. They coated their skin with bear and goose grease. This both repelled moisture and retained heat. They also wore animal skins tanned with the fur on, but unlike fur coats of today, they wore them with the fur against their skin for added insulation and warmth. Huge blankets were made of rabbit skins sewn together and used to cover several people, thus keeping in more body heat on cold nights.

As well as keeping warm, they needed to keep busy. During the summers they were tending their crops, gathering wild edibles, hunting, and fishing. During the winters, men still hunted, fished through the ice, and trapped animals for their warmest furs. The women did the handwork needed for the next summer, including making clothing and decorating it, making baskets, carving bowls, and - of course - tending to the children.

It wasn't an easy existence. It makes me appreciate my snug house with its wood heat and insulated windows.

Pegg Thomas writes "History with a Touch of Humor."

18th Century Native American Houses by Cynthia Howerter

On a recent drive through rural Centre County, Pennsylvania, my friend and I had a conversation about the Eastern Woodland Native Americans who had lived there during the mid-1700s. She pointed out that had we been traveling through the area at that time, we would be seeing lots of teepees.

Actually, that’s a common but inaccurate belief. The Eastern Woodland Native Americans who lived in the colonies during the 18th century did not live in teepees; they lived in bark huts known as “wigwams” and “longhouses” as well as log cabins. While most wigwams were dome-shaped, some had conical shapes similar to a teepee. However, these conical-shaped wigwams were covered with bark rather than the animal hides that the Plains Indians used on their teepees.

During a visit to Fort Ligonier in southwestern Pennsylvania, I was delighted to find a full-size wigwam. Let’s take a look.

The outside of the dome-shaped wigwam is covered with large sheets of tree bark. If you look closely, you can see that the bottom row of bark was applied first, with each piece of bark overlapping the one next to it.

A longhouse was built much the same way as a wigwam, however, its shape would be more rectangular with a rounded roof rather than dome-shaped. Due to the large size of a longhouse, it could house several families while only one family could live in the smaller wigwam.

Because it was raining during my visit, I was anxious to step inside the wigwam. To my amazement, I could stand up straight without my head touching the bark, and even though the rain had turned into a downpour, the interior was completely dry.

Inside, you can see a framework made from tender saplings. The framework was formed into a circle, and, once in place, the bark was secured to it. Mud chinking could be applied to the seams to keep the weather out. We can see by the light peeking through that this wigwam's seams have not been sealed.

Wigwams and longhouses contained fire pits. These circular pits were usually dug into the ground in the middle of the hut and surrounded by stones. The fire pits provided heat as well as a place to cook food. Directly above the pit is a small opening in the bark called a "smoke hole" that acts as a flue for the fire’s smoke. The opening could be covered completely or partially with a piece of bark when there was no fire or to prevent rain or snow from entering.

The entrance on this particular wigwam seemed a bit large compared to other bark huts I've seen. Perhaps this was done so visitors could easily enter and exit the lodge without damaging the bark. Native Americans would have hung an animal hide over the doorway to keep rain, snow, cold air, and wind from blowing inside.  

As the Native American population came into contact with the colonists and were introduced to the log cabin, they gradually gave up their bark huts and built this sturdier type of lodging. The Oconaluftee Village at the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina has a replica of the log cabins that Cherokees built and lived in (photo below).

A stranger approaching this cabin might be hard pressed to discern whether the owner was a settler or a Native American. Note the chimney, wood shingled roof, chinking between the logs, and a very nice front porch with benches. Considerably more durable than the bark lodges, it's easy to understand why Native Americans modified their type of housing. 

All Photographs ©2014 Cynthia Howerter

Contact information:
Fort Ligonier – an outstanding example of reconstruction and preservation of an 18th century fort. Fort Ligonier was in use during 1758-1766.

200 South Market Street

Ligonier, Pennsylvania

(724) 238-9701
www.fortligonier.org 

Oconaluftee Village – an excellent recreation of Cherokee life during the 1750s.

Please note: This outdoor exhibit is only open between May-October

Cherokee Indian Reservation

218 Drama Road

Cherokee, North Carolina
http://visitcherokeenc.com/play/attractions/oconaluftee-indian-village/

Award-winning author Cynthia Howerter loves using her training in education, research, writing, and speaking to teach and inspire others about a time in America that was anything but boring. A member of the Daughters of the American revolution (DAR), Cynthia believes history should be alive and personal.

Visit Cynthia's website: Cynthia Howerter - all things historical 

You can find her on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.